1. Field of the invention
The invention concerns a device for simulating a golfcourse comprising a series of holes into which a player must direct a ball in corresponding successive stages, the ball being played from a start area to the hole forming the stage objective in a series of strokes.
2. Description of the prior art
On a real golfcourse where the distances between the start area and the objective hole are frequently as much as several hundred meters the strokes played by the players are of two kinds:
Firstly, long-distance strokes called "swings" or "long drives" where the player attempts to get the ball close to the hole, covering the greatest possible distance, possibly tens or even hundreds of meters.
Secondly, precision strokes or "putts" where the player attempts to reach the objective hole directly and the length of which rarely exceeds a few meters.
Players use specific clubs for each kind of stroke.
Evidently there is no clear-cut boundary between "swings" and "putts", the distinction depending partly on the skill of the player and partly on the configuration of the terrain around the hole.
As far as the applicant is aware, virtually all simulation devices previously proposed simulate only one of the two kinds of stroke, in the majority of cases putts.
However, some devices designed to simulate swings incorporate holes catering for simplified putting, with no obstacles. In these devices there is no interelationship between the swings and the putts.
The document U.S. Pat. No. 1,904,034 describes a putting simulator device with a track situated between a start area and a hole with a surface covering that simulates a lawn (green). The track can be tilted by means of a lever to return the ball to the player. A counter device registers entry of the ball into the hole and displays a successful stroke, while impact of the ball on a target behind the hole registers and displays a missed stroke.
The document U.S. Pat. No. 3,184,239 proposes a similar device except that there is a gully beyond the hole to recover balls which have gone past the objective hole and a scraper bar for returning balls that have stopped on the track as the result of a stroke that is too short.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,601,407 and 2,465,418 describe flexible material tracks that can be deformed to create bumps or hollows and increase the difficulty of the strokes. The first document discloses a single hole while the second discloses a plurality of holes.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,114,554 describes a track for training in putting with a plurality of holes which are opened one at a time in sequence. Control devices are provided to react to entry of a ball into an open hole, to open the next hole in the sequence and to display the results.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,133,534 describes a device similar to the previous one. The track comprises various obstacles; the holes are opened one at a time in sequence; when a ball enters the open hole the result is registered and then the hole is closed, ejecting the ball onto the track.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,633,917 describes a starting base for golf training but does not give any information as to the location or structure of the holes.
In this document the start configuration is variable; firstly three different types of starting terrain are available, disposed on a triangular prism-shaped rotor which rotates about a horizontal axis, one simulating a green, the second simulating a rough and the third simulating a bunker. This starting base is situated at the center of a platform that can be tilted about two orthogonal horizontal axes. Flexible aprons connect the platform to the surrounding surface.
Other documents are directed to training in swings.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,684,293 describes a tunnel-like cage. The walls of the cage, and in particular the back wall, comprise coatings selected to damp impact in a particular way. In this way it should be possible to evaluate the length of the swing and the effects imparted to the ball. As an accessory there is provision for training in putting by placing a hole in the cage.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,045,023 describes a device for training in swings which essentially comprises at a distance from a starting base a target provided with impact sensors and divided widthwise and heightwise in sectors. The division into widthwise sectors corresponds to the accuracy of the stroke in terms of direction while the heightwise division is used to evaluate the theoretical range of the stroke.
The description in this patent is full of ancillary and redundant descriptive material, such as the arrangement of the playing area in the form of an individual cabin; there is some doubt as to the feasibility of the real object of this patent.
Be this as it may, the prior art devices either offer sporting games similar to golf or can be used for training in this sport under severely restricted conditions. These devices fall a long way short of simulating the variety and the sequencing of strokes on a real golfcourse and of making it possible to evaluate the qualities of a player. In particular, none of these devices makes the conditions for any stroke dependent on the results of a preceding stroke and thus they do not simulate a course with a sequence of strokes in each stage (hole) in which the position of the ball as the result of one stroke determines the origin of the next stroke.